A few days later we spoke the “Alabama,” Captain Coggeshall, who reported that the day before Captain L., of the “Jireh Perry,” had shot his cook for some trifling cause. On Saturday, May 21st, we “gammed” with our old friends of the “Mohawk.” Probably the reader is unacquainted with the meaning of the term “gam,” which is peculiar to whalemen alone. It is simply _visiting_ from one ship to another. When two ships meet, one captain invites the other to come on board and pass the day. On his arrival with a boat’s crew, the chief mate of the vessel that has given the invitation returns with a boat’s crew from his own ship to the stranger, thus leaving the two captains on one ship, and the two mates on the other, and exchanging boat’s crews. The first salute generally is, “How are you, shipmate? how long are you out? how much oil have you got? what part of the States are you from?” But a short time elapses before all hands are acquainted; the visitors are invited into the forecastle, where some time is spent in spinning yarns. After a short general conversation, the song is called for, and some one, generally _the_ singer of the ship, leads off, singing some love-ditty, pirate, or sailor song, all hands joining in the chorus, and making the welkin ring. The song goes round, and he who can not sing must spin a yarn; all must contribute to the general amusement. The day passes pleasantly away, all labor being suspended except the look-out for whales and sailing the ship. These “gams” are to the sailor moments of recreation, and serve to create general satisfaction among all hands. During these “gams” whales are often raised, and the oil secured on the occasion is equally divided between the two ships, “be the same more or less.”